Tank for separating oil and water from gas



A ril v19 1927.

p F. A. RAY

TANK FOR SEPARATING OIL AND WATER FROM GAS Filed Sept. 5, 1925 riga o TGR.

IN VEN A TTORNEY.

ytioner hereof on May 6., 192e, Vbearing Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

einem@ A. RAY, or WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS.

TANK FOB 'SEPARATING vOIL .AND WATER FROM GAS.

Application filed September 5, 19.25.. l-Serial fNo. 54,613.

rThe present invention relates to useful ini- -provernents fin .tanks especially designed tor the purposeoiseparatingoil and vwater irorn gas, connnonfly used rn connection fvvith .oil tie-ld work, and fit refers incre panticulariy to a gas trapping yanrangernent tor trunks-oi the :character designated, the object being primarily to positively prevent agitation, through the ingress .ogt gas with the third, oi the basic sediment and `fluid 4con-tents .ot vthe tank.

The invention further comprehends an -arrangement 4as set. lorth having particular sig- .nicanee when taken together with certain ifngrproveinents in tanks described and claimed in Let-ters Patent granted `,the peti- No. l,492,57;9, las Well as prior and intervening applications :o similar subgect nia-liter.

With the -lonegoi-ng and other .fobgeets Aand adiianatages in view., the invent-ion has .particnllar reference to certain novel tea-tures et construct-ion and assembly of pants, by `which said objects are attained, which will be inaniiiested in the cou-rse ,of the Jfollowing detail ,description and illustrated in .the :appended dill'wings`v` in which:

Figure ,l representsa view in yeiiticail eleva'tion 1a tank upon which the inventronjis attached, having portions cut away to 1-llust-rate more clearly the interior fittings thereof.

Figure 2 is a similar' Aview in xferti-cal sec- ;t-ion on lines 2-2 of Figure l, illustrating the position oi the invention therein, and

Eigure .3 is a cross-,section on lines 3-3 of Figure l.

1n ,proceeding more in detail, the reference .character l denotes a .cylindnieal Itank of the usual .consiliari-action, upon the .top ogt' which is ,situated a deine Q having therein a thief hole 3, and receiving the delivery ends of .a series oi pipes et. Adjacent the do-ine 2, y.the tank is unther provided with a pop-oli' valve 5,. The bottoinof .the -tank is equipped :with @the usual Ydrain .plug 6, also .a port 7 provided for convenience in cleaning the set- .tlings from ,the tank.

lt will 'be observed in Rigi-1re 2 that the dome 2 is conical in iiorin at its base, Where 50 it engages a pipe 8, -having lintegral therewith a ypair oi pipes 9, which latter lextend obliquely y,toward opposing walls of the tank, Where .they are bent and djrected downivardly `along the said Walls an equal distance. lln'ough VJthese pipes `the iiuid is passed into the tank.

lt has been previously determined .that unless vcertain .expediencies are established yin- .teriorly -O the tank to segregate the ingress ci' gus with the fluid, from :thatalready zcontained ivi-thin .the tank, a maximum disturbence ,of lthe fluid und "basic sediment takes place, such agitation and vdisturbance resulting in ine'llicient. decomposition of lthe fluid mixture and an yinferior grade roff oil is the product. Hence, it rhas 'been ziiound necessary in order-to obviate the foregoing disadvantage to provide `intermediate the depending ends ot the obliquely .extending pipes 9, a barrel l0, which latter is suitably themed .to Ithe -xva-ll-s Aof .the tank 1, and into which 'the y.pipes .9 extend approximately .half its length. The tops of ,these barrels are ,closed aro-und the pipes to y,preventingress .oi' .contained Within the tank above the fluid level, aside from that entering through the pipes 9 with v.the fluid, This ,latter ,gas is `isecei'ved .Within the barrels l0 and con- :ve-yed upwardly, where it emerges through the pipes 11 situated in the tops oi' zthe barrels 10, and into the space above l.the level vof the fluid, lwhich latter, in most cases is found to v assume a ylevel wit-hin the pipe 13, -app-roxi-inatel-y inches above .the level ot' the bulk Aof the Ifluid Within the tank proper, in accordance however, .with the pressure ol' gas imposed thereon. y

,'lherefore, lit is vclearly obvious .that the gas is not required to be .discharged with .the -fl-uid at the bottoni of the ,tank and rise :to fthe ltop, ,as has been previously done, but l1is Aentrapped within the .barrels l0, as in Athe manner described, thus to l.prevent agi- `tationoi' the mixture .of-oil, Water and sediment L'by ,its upward passage therethrough Upon-entering ,its assigned space above the level of the fluid, the toil, being of lighter weight than water, is forced by the gas to assume a lower level, thus forcing the water below the oil body upward and through the outlet pipe 1Q, to be drained Yfrom the tank, and gas in excess of the amount required to cause the action above described, will bc automatically released Afrom the tank through the pop-off valve 5, as previously mentioned, or through a line 12a, entering the pipe immediately below the pop-ofin valve which is employed as a conductor of gas pressure to various points throughout the field, to be utilized in operating engines and other analogous uses. lt will be observed further, that the ends o'l the pipes l2 and 13 are directed downwardly, which affords a liquid seal to prevent the fluid from siphoning therefrom.

rlhe tank l is further shown as being provided with an oil line vacuum release pipe lll, situated upon the pipe 13, as well as a similar pipe lldisposed upon the pipe l2, the obvious purpose being to prevent siphoning of fluid through these respective pipes.

The invention does not include broadly the construction of a separating` tank of the character described in the foregoing, but does include broadly the means for segregating the gas from the liquid contents otl the tank to prevent agitation of said contents, as set forth in the appended claims, and it should be understood that certain minor changes and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and intent of the invention as set forth in said claims.

l claim:

l.. ln a tank of the character described :for separating gas and water from oil, the coinbination with the fluid inlets ot said tank or' tubular members concentrically surrounding said inlets and closed at their tops to prevent ingress of gas therethrough, means to elevate the entrapped gas within said tubular members and pass the same above the evel of the fluid within said tank and means for urging water 'from said tank by the pressure imposed upon the fluid by said gas.

2. ln a tank for separating oil and water from gas, the combination with the fluid inlet pipes of means circumferentially surrouniiling the lower extren'iities oit said inlet pipes to entrap and prevent the same from agitating the contents of said tank; said means comprising barrels having their ends closed about said inlet pipes at a spaced point above the discharge ends thereof. means to permit said to escape from said entrapping means above the fluid level of said tank and means :for ejecting water from said tank in accordance with the pressure imposed upon the iiuid by the gas contents thereof.

3. In a tank for separating water and oil neat-5,052

from gas; means in combination with the fluid inlet pipes thereof arranged to enti-ap ingressing gas and prevent the same from rising through the contents of said tank; said means comprising tubes disposed in concentric relationship about said fluid inlet pipes arranged to receive said gas and convey the same upwardly above the fluid level of said tank and means for applying` the pressure of said gas against the fluid contents thereof to eject the water content :from said tank.

4.. ln a tank for segregating liquids from means to prevent disturbance of said liquids by said gas during passage of the latter therethrough, in combination with the inlets of said tank, said means includ ing tubular members circumferentially surrounding the lower extremities of said inlets and closed at their tops to entrap gas ingressing with said liquid and means to permit the same to egress trom said tubular members to a point above the liquid level of said tank and means for applying the pressure of said gas against the fluid contents thereof to eject the water contentfrom said tank.

ln a tank for separating oil and water trom gas; the combination with the inlets of said tank of a. circumferential housing for said inlets and closed at its top to interclude the gas entering with the fluid and means to pass the same upwardly above the normal level assumed by said fluid within the tank and means for applying the pressure of said gas against the fluid to cause the water content beneath the fluid to be ejected from said tank.

6. In a tank for separating aeriform fluids Yfrom water and oil, the combination with the inlets of said tank of a barrel concentrically surrounding` said inlets to intercept said aeriform fluid, means to passthe latter upward above the liquid level of said water and oil, irrespective of the passage of the latter and means for ejecting the water content of said tank by the pressure of said gas on the fluid therein.

7. ln a tank having a fluid inlet tube, means to intercept gas entering through said inlet with the fluid and prevent the saine from agitating the contents of said tank, said means including' a barrel-like member concentrically arranged upon said inlet interiorly of said tank and having its upper end closed about said inlet tube. means directed upwardly from the said closed end of the barrel to pass the gas above the liquid level ot' said tank and means for ejecting the water from said tank by the pressure of said gas against the fluid therein.

8. ln a tank having a fluid inlet pipe, means in combination therewith to interclude gas ingressing with the fluid, said leo' means Comprising a cylindrical shell oir- :umferentully surrounding said inlet pipe nt its discharge end and closed at its top to afford an intermediate annular chamber t'or the reception of said gas, means directed upwardly from the closed end of said Shell to permit the passage of gas entrapped therein above the liquid level of said tank therefrom.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FELBERT A. RAY. 

